getting ini value

[User 589870]

hi, i am using api GetPrivateProfileString(string section, string key, string def, string retVal, int size, string filePath); which is not working for me but if i declare 4th arguement as stringBuilder then it works fine but i want to keep it string.wat to do?

[OriginalGriff]

Strings are immutable - this is a return parameter so you must supply a changeable type. You just convert from StringBuilder to string via StringBuilder.ToString when you need it. I would suggest though, that you look at .NET app.Config files instead, as .INI files are a little old style...

I have learnt that you can not make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in. Apathy Error: Don't bother striking any key.

[PIEBALDconsult]

Whenever I use P/Invoke I write a method to wrap the API method:

    \[
        System.Runtime.InteropServices.DllImportAttribute 
        ( 
            "Kernel32" 
        , 
            SetLastError=true 
        , 
            EntryPoint="GetPrivateProfileString" 
        )
    \]
    private unsafe static extern uint
    API\_GetPrivateProfileString
    (
        string lpAppName        
    ,
        string lpKeyName        
    ,
        string lpDefault        
    ,
        byte\*  lpReturnedString 
    ,
        int    nSize            
    ,
        string lpFileName
    ) ;

    public unsafe static int
    GetPrivateProfileString
    (
        string     lpAppName        
    ,
        string     lpKeyName        
    ,
        string     lpDefault        
    ,
        out string lpReturnedString 
    ,
        int        nSize            
    ,
        string     lpFileName
    )
    {
        int    result ;
        byte\[\] temp   = new byte \[ nSize \] ;

        fixed ( byte\* ptemp = temp )
        {
            result = (int) API\_GetPrivateProfileString
            (
                lpAppName        
            ,
                lpKeyName        
            ,
                lpDefault        
            ,
                ptemp            
            ,
                nSize            
            ,
                lpFileName
            ) ;
        }

        lpReturnedString = System.Text.Encoding.Unicode.GetString ( temp ).Substring ( 0 , result ) ;

        return ( result ) ;
    }

I wrote this for someone else when I was just learning C#, I don't use it. I use XML for configuration files.